


Trust Love

by delta_altair



Series: Trust Love - Fair Game Week 2020 [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Apologies, Blacksmithing, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Clover Ebi Lives, Clover gets injured but he is OK, Elm also has character growth, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode 12 Rewrite, First Kiss, Fix-It, Flirting, Found Family, Getting Together, Gifts, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, I evoke E12 imagery for the purpose of catharsis and giving Qrow and Clover a happy ending, Ironwood being an ass, M rating is for violence, M/M, Minor Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Tags Are Fun, Tags Are Hard, Tyrian dies, Villain Character Death, Winter Schnee character growth, Winter being a boss, an implied cooking disaster, day 5: Hurt/Comfort, fairgameweek2020, the angst/drama makes the comfort better I promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23236687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_altair/pseuds/delta_altair
Summary: Tensions run high as Ironwood's plan for Atlas is revealed, and Clover struggles with his military instincts and his feelings.Despite an emotional disagreement, Qrow and Clover come to each others aid in a final showdown with Tyrian Callows.Qrow finally makes peace with an important part of himself, and ends the nightmare that had been haunting him.Clover has to make a hard decision, but receives help from an unexpected avenue.And in the end, Clover decides to trust love, and finds his home.~~~~Part 5 in a series that fills in the blanks of Qrow and Clover's relationship throughout Volume 7, culminating in this work -- total re-work of Episode 12 -- and the epilogue that these characters deserved.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Trust Love - Fair Game Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665739
Comments: 89
Kudos: 193
Collections: fuck roosterteeth all the homies are annoyed with roosterteeth





	1. Fear

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are everyone, my re-interpretation of Episode 12. Writing this was extremely cathartic for me, and I hope you also enjoy it <3
> 
> This fic does use imagery from episode 12, but for the purpose of completely changing what happened in the episode. Please give the tags a read through. There will still be some hurt, but there will also be a lot of comfort at the end.
> 
> Shout out to ABanana and Ophelia on the Fair Game discord for helping me come up with the name of Robyn's weapon!
> 
> Lastly, I want to thank my friends [thedarkpoet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkpoet/) and [alphaparrot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphaparrot) for beta-reading this work (and also all my other works for this week!). This fic would be nowhere near where it is now without your help. Your editing skills are as excellent as your writing skills <3

_“Ironwood’s declaring martial law and abandoning Mantle! Salem is coming and he’s going to use the Staff to move Atlas. If we don’t stop him Mantle’s going to be des--”_

The line cut out. Clover stared down at the floor. His heart hammered in his chest. The sound of his blood rushing in his ears drowned out the hum of the Manta's engines. He balled his hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

What was James thinking? What had happened? How did they know that Salem was coming? How could the situation be so dire that James thought abandoning Mantle was a suitable price to pay? If he's going to use the Staff, what happened to the Winter Maiden? Hundreds of questions swirled in his head, a cacophony of uncertainty clawing at his mind like a swarm of Grimm. Until a voice cut through it all.

"Clover?"

He looked up. Confusion filled Qrow’s eyes. The breath Clover hadn't realized he had been holding left him in a rush. 

"What's going on?"

Clover closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself, then spoke. "I...I'm not sure. We should return to Atlas as soon as possible, and speak to General Ironwood dire-"

"Speak to him?" Robyn cut in. "We have to _stop_ him. Or did you not hear the part about martial law and abandoning tens of thousands of people to die?"

"Ms. Hill, I’m sure the General understands the enormity of this--"

A buzz from the scroll interrupted him. He removed it from his vest and pulls it open, opening the new message flagged as urgent. The faces of team RWBY, team JNOR, and Qrow stared back up at him. 

**!WANTED!**

**Detain on sight**

_No._

Clover's heart dropped into his stomach. This could not be happening. He could rationalize some situation where the General would consider evacuating, possibly even leaving Mantle behind if the stakes were dire enough. But this? The young hunters had done nothing but help Ironwood in his mission, and Qrow had been with Clover the entire time. 

A soft gasp brought his attention back up to the other pair. Robyn had her scroll open, the same alert showing on her screen. Qrow's eyes drifted from the device to Clover. On the way, they shifted from shock, to confusion, and finally ending on a hardened suspicion when red eyes met teal.

Clover hated it.

"Me and the teams...my _nieces_ , are under arrest?" Qrow's voice was low, anger simmering just under the surface. "Has James lost his mind?!"

Sharp laughter came from Clover's left, startling him. Tyrian had his head thrown back, cackling. "A free ride and a show!”

"Quiet," Robyn bit out.

"Look," Clover said, standing. "I don't understand what's happened. But there has to be a reason. I'll tell the pilots to take us directly to the landing zone closest to General Ironwood's office, then we can-"

"Absolutely not," Robyn retorted. "You're going to take me back to Mantle first. I need to protect my people, especially since Ironwood has finally decided we're expendable."

"He hasn't-" Clover paused, frustrated. He knew he couldn't justify James' decision. His mind raced, anxiety clawing at him. His heart was screaming at him to ignore the arrest warrant, find out the truth as soon as possible, and trust Qrow. But the cold, impersonal pressure of his training flooded his mind. You follow your orders. You follow your General. James had never let him down before.

He let out a shaky breath, before saying, "Look, only Qrow is under arrest. We can do a low pass over Mantle if you have a landing strat-"

Qrow stood up in a flash. Clover's words died on his tongue.

"I am going to my nieces," he said, quiet but resolute. There was an icy fury in his eyes, a facade for some deeper emotion.

"Qrow..." Clover hesitated. Gods damn it, he hated this. "I understand, but I have my orders."

"Of course you'd say that," Robyn said, rolling her eyes, though her anger seemed to subside with the offer to bring her to Mantle. She stood and walked to the back of the Manta. “Do you even care about the inhumane plan to abandon Mantle? Or do you let James think for you?” 

Clover bristled. That wasn't fair, he didn't know why James was doing this. Maybe there was a good reason. Clover hoped there was a good reason. He felt lost, the most confused he had ever been since joining the military. He had no anchor in this storm, other than his orders. 

"It's taking a very long time for this to get to the good part," Tyrian droned.

"Shut up," Qrow snapped. He looked back to Clover. "I'm going to my nieces," he repeated. "Once I know they're safe, I'll come with you to talk to James. I want to understand why he's doing this. But I'm not going there first, and you are _not_ arresting me."

Clover sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes. He turned to call into the cockpit, "Do a low pass over the Mantle wall, then we're going straight back to Atlas." After hearing the confirmation from the pilot, he turned back around. Robyn nodded, her expression still tight, but directed her attention back to the window on the side door of the Manta.

Qrow was still looking at him, arms crossed. Clover had grown close to Qrow, and he wanted to trust him. But his job has always been the pillar of stability in his life, and to disobey direct orders would be like tossing himself into the sea. "I'm sorry Qrow, but I can't just ignore my orders."

"You can't? Even when they don't make sense? You've been with me the whole time, there's no good reason to arrest me." His eyes narrowed, his tone harsh, "You know this is the wrong decision, but you're hiding behind your orders like all of Jimmy's tin soldiers."

Clover glared at the other man, "You don't know _what_ you're talking about-"

"Yes I do! I know James, and for him to send out a damn _arrest warrant_ for me and my kids, something must h-"

"You're not the only one who knows General Ironwood," he cut in. "We have our orders to fall back on when we don-"

" _You_ have your orders," Qrow interrupted. "I am _not_ like you." His lips were twisted halfway into a snarl, but crimson eyes betrayed the deep hurt laying under the veneer of anger.

Clover was hurt too. His emotions were running wild, and he felt like he was being torn between his heart and mind. He took in a breath, alarmed at how much he shuddered. His hands felt clammy with sweat. What was happening to him? His training told him to always fall back on his orders. He was supposed to be a captain, an elite operative. He was supposed to be in control. 

Nothing about this situation felt controlled. 

Twin instincts, one telling him to follow his orders, the other telling him to follow Qrow, felt like they were tearing his soul apart. The look of deep betrayal Qrow was giving him didn't help matters. 

"I thought we...that we were..." The huntsman swallowed, closing his eyes. "Do you really think there's a logical reason to arrest me right now?"

"...No." His voice was tiny, fractured.

"Then don't, Clover. Trust me." Qrow slowly started to open his eyes again. "I thought you trusted me."

Clover gasped. "I...Qrow...I don't-"

"NO!"

Qrow shoved past Clover, hand reaching for Harbinger's hilt. For the briefest moment, Clover thought the other man may have been starting to fight him. He shoved the thought away, shame piling onto the growing tangle of emotions coursing through him. The momentum from Qrow's push turned him around, and he instantly sighted the true problem.

Tyrian.

The faunus was perched on the control panel of the ship, the pilot slumped over in his chair. Clutched in Tyrian's still-bound hands was the pilot's hat, which he flipped into the air and onto his head with a cackle. Glancing at his former seat, Clover spotted the lock that had secured Tyrian to the wall of the plane. It was dangling at the attachment point, pulled open on one end, the edges sheared. A weak lock.

It was a damn lucky break for Tyrian.

Qrow was halfway to the cockpit, Harbinger’s blade sliding into position, when Tyrian slammed his bound hands into the ship console and kicked the control stick with his foot. The plane lurched, sending Clover and Qrow careening into the side of the hold. A sudden gust of cold wind and a gasp made Clover whirl around. Tyrian had opened the door of the Manta, and the unexpected roll had sent Robyn flying towards it. She grabbed onto the side of the hatch with her hands, but she was barely holding on.

Clover unlatched Kingfisher, extended the pole, and flung its hook out in an instant. "Robyn, catch!"

The huntress grabbed the line with one hand, quickly wrapping it around her arm a few times, before slamming it back onto the wall. Clover pulled the line taut, grabbing onto the cargo netting with his other hand to steady himself. 

Behind him, he heard Qrow yell, "What the hell are you doing!?"

"The will of our goddess!!" came the screeching reply, followed by the plane taking another harsh downward pitch and an even deeper roll. Clover could see the broad expanse of tundra rapidly approaching. He had to get Robyn back inside. 

“Slack, then pull once I’m clear!” she yelled over the din of rushing air. Clover loosened the reel on Kingfisher. The tension gone, Robyn let go of the doorframe, pivoting around her centre of gravity. Once she was clear of the door, Clover snapped the line taut again. The jerk gave her just enough height to swing Veracity upwards, catch the top edge of the door with its wings, and hurl herself inside. The combined momentum flung her to the other side of the Manta, the impact making her aura flicker. 

At the moment, another sharp cry rang out, and Harbinger slid past Clover's feet.

 _Qrow_. 

Clover slammed his foot down on the blade to keep it from flying out of the ship, then turned. Qrow was falling away from Tyrian, left hand clutching at his right bicep. The faunus was leaning forward, grinning with ferocious triumph, hands flung into the air with his fingers held like talons. Violet energy shimmered around them.

Clover hurled Kingfisher's hook at Tyrian. 

It only made it halfway there before there was a thundering boom, and everything went white.


	2. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow wakes up after the crash, and starts to give in to the negativity that had always plagued him.

Qrow came to with a groan. His head was pounding, his whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck, and the side of his right arm was searing. As the rest of his senses came back to him, half his body felt cold. Opening his eyes, he saw he was lying in the snow a few feet away from the smouldering wreck of the Manta. Pain shot through his arm when he attempted to push himself up. He glanced down at the gash across his bicep, cutting into his sleeve. He remembered how Tyrian had reached past his guard to claw through his aura. He remembered the cackling that had haunted him for months after Oniyuri.

Tyrian was still here somewhere, along with Clover, Robyn and their pilot. 

Qrow hauled himself up, avoiding putting pressure on his right arm. The cut wasn't deep, but he'd need to get medical attention for it at some point, and it would make handling Harbinger difficult.

Damnit, where was his weapon?

Walking towards the wreckage, he scanned the area. The Manta had split in two, the centre of its fuselage crumpling under the impact of the crash. The front section was tilted nose-down into the snow, thick black smoke billowing from it, while the back half, including part of the passenger compartment, seemed to be in slightly better shape. He hoped that meant Clover and Robyn were ok. 

He spotted Robyn on the opposite side of the crash, lying on the ground, motionless. Qrow sprinted to her, praying he wasn't too late. Kneeling next to her, he searched for a pulse, letting out a breath of relief when he found it. 

"Qrow?"

The huntsman looked over his shoulder to see Clover getting up off the ground, using a warped piece of fuselage to aid him. He had been just out of Qrow's view earlier, hidden behind the wreckage. His uniform was spotted with ash, but the operative looked fine otherwise. The four leaf clover pin still shined on his chest.

"Are you ok? Is Robyn?" he asked, making his way towards them.

"I'm fine," Qrow answered. "Robyn's unconscious. Not badly hurt, I think, but she needs medical attention."

"Right, I'll see if I can find a fla-” A sharp inhale of breath, “Hey, you're bleeding."

Clover knelt in the snow next to Qrow, reaching a hand towards Qrow's injured arm.

He leaned away from the touch. Clover's eyes widened, a look of distress flashing over his features. "Qrow?"

"I'm fine," he bit out. "Callows just grazed me. He could still be around, we need to get out of here." 

"Let me bind it, at least." Clover untied his armband, but waited, looking at Qrow. "Please?"

Sighing, Qrow leaned back in. Clover quickly bound the wound, though he had to wrap his armband around Qrow's bicep twice to get it snug. It took all of Qrow's self control to not roll his eyes at that. He scanned the area around them, keeping an eye out for Tyrian.

Qrow had spotted the broken lock when he rushed Callows on the ship. A spot of horrible luck for all of them. He glanced back at Clover. "...I'm sorry."

Teal eyes snapped up to meet his own. "What?"

"Callows getting loose. It was probably my semblan-"

"Qrow," Clover cut him off. "Don't."

Letting out a huff, he averted his gaze from the man. He didn’t know if he was angry with Clover for considering arresting him, or angry that Clover was probably right about his semblance. Maybe it was both. "Let's get Robyn out of the wreckage."

The two men carried Robyn out of the small crater created by the crash, being cautious with their movements to not jostle her. They also spotted the pilot, who must have slid backwards out of the cockpit just before the crash. He was also unconscious, sporting a nasty bruise at his temple. They carefully moved him out of the crash zone as well.

Standing up, Clover said, "I should be the one apologizing anyway. I got too emotional back there, it could have very well been my semblance giving Callows good lu-"

"Seriously?" Qrow snapped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You tell me not to blame my semblance, but then you blame your own? And what do you mean ‘too emotional’? Do you think you're _not_ supposed to feel something, being ordered to _arrest me_?" He was taking it too far. He knew he was taking it way too far. But he had an ache in his heart from the argument on the Manta, and he knew no other way to deal with it then to bury it in anger. His eternal, ever-present instinct was to just push and push and push away until the pain walked away.

Clover's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but it took a moment for words to come out, "Qrow I didn't mean...I'm not- I was confused, alright? I didn't know what to do. I know arresting you doesn't make any sense, but I didn't know what was really going on in Atlas, and of course my instinct was to follow my orders. That's why we're soldiers, Qrow."

"Right. Instead of thinking for yourself and doing the right thing, you just _blindly_ do as you’re told by your General."

Lips twisted into a frown, Clover said, "I trust James with my _life_ , Qrow." Clover's expression softened as he looked down, the same emotion Qrow saw on the ship bubbling under the surface. "I wanted to trust you too. And I know I hurt you, Qrow, and I'm so sor-"

"Save it," he interrupted. He turned away to hide his own expression. He couldn't deal with Clover emptying his heart out to him right now. Maybe he'd never be able to deal with it. This whole incident would probably convince Clover to keep his distance anyway. To leave him. It was inevitable, so he may as well help it along. "Still need to signal Atlas. And Tyrian's still here."

The hitch in breathing behind him squeezed at Qrow's heart, cracking it's frail and decrepit edges.

"Yeah," Clover responded, his voice light. He coughed once, then sounded much more normal, "You're right."

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to regain his own composure. Taking a deep breath, he felt marginally more centred. The missing weight on his hips called out to him most starkly. "Did you see what happened to Harbinger?"

"It slid past me just before we crashed, though I managed to slow it down a bit. It's probably at the back."

"Alright." Qrow started marching towards the crash site. 

“I should come with you, Tyrian might-”

“Still be around, which is why you should stay with Robyn and the pilot. I’ll be fine.” Qrow kept walking.

"Qrow, please-"

"I work better alone, Ebi." He had to stop and take a breath, nails digging into his palms. There was no need to turn to see Clover's expression. Qrow could imagine his hurt look already. He just kept digging himself deeper and deeper, didn't he? There was an emotion stirring in his chest, budding and fragile but screaming at him to turn around and apologize to Clover. Selfishly, he tried his best to ignore it. "Tyrian's injured too, and I can fly out quickly." The least he could do was try to reassure the man of his safety. 

Clover sighed, his voice rough again, "Fine. But I'm still coming closer, just not past the edge of the crash."

"Fine," Qrow responded, and retreated from the sound of crunching snow behind him. Hopefully, searching for his weapon would give him the time to collect himself.

He slid down the edge of the small crater, scanning the wreckage. The sun was just starting to rise, casting the snow an eerie blue. Smoke still billowed from the front of the fuselage, and frayed wires sparked along the torn edges. Keeping his footsteps as light as possible, he made his way towards the back half of the crash site. Most of the hold had collapsed, but about a foot of the passenger area they had all been sitting in was still attached to the tail of the Manta. That cylindrical, tapered tail was also intact, though badly bent. The surrounding area was littered with broken, twisted pieces of metal. Qrow came to the spot where Clover had woken up, a few feet away from what was left of the hold. A substantial pile of wreckage was clustered in the corner, next to the rear door. That door was dangling open, the sloped edge of the snowy crater visible through it, along with some smaller debris. Qrow spied a hint of red among the pile, standing out from the mess of gunmetal grey.

Harbinger was partially embedded in the back wall of the hold, the pile of detritus covering most of it. The huntsman walked towards it, but threw a glance over his shoulder towards the cockpit. Electrical sparks still flew, but nothing else was moving. Kneeling next to his weapon, Qrow carefully moved away the wreckage. Gripping the handle, he pulled the trigger to retract Harbinger's blade to its carrying size, then slung it behind his back. Once it was clipped back onto his belt, the familiar weight gave him a small measure of comfort. At least he wasn't unarmed anymore. 

From his new position, he could see further into space behind the Manta through the open door. What Qrow initially thought were small fragments of the broken door was actually parts of the emergency kit, including a flare gun with cartridges spilled out over the snow.

"Found it, and I found the med kit," Qrow called out, standing up. "I'll bring it back." He put his hand on the side of the door and leaned through, reaching for the strewn about supplies.

"Ok, good find!" Clover called back. "Should be a transponder to- **QROW**!"

He whirled around just in time to see, in the shadows of the cockpit, a glint of the rising sun reflecting off a metallic tail, and a hunk of broken metal flying straight at him.


	3. Duel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Clover face off against Tyrian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: The chapter contains canon-typical violence, and the injury of a character (but this character will be **fine**)

The debris slammed into his chest, sending him through the door and crashing into the snow. Luckily, his aura hadn't been destroyed in the crash: if it had, the blow likely would have knocked him out. The twisted piece of metal had landed where he had been standing, just outside the broken door, blocking his exit.

He heard a set of rapid footsteps approaching in the snow- no, two sets. But one was much faster, and much closer.

Scanning his surroundings, Qrow spotted a gap between the Manta and the edge of the crater wall. Tight, but he could make it. He snatched up the flare gun and slammed a cartridge into it. 

The closer set of footsteps stopped. A moment later, the debris covering the bottom half of the door bowed inwards as Tyrian's feet slammed into it. The faunus gripped the top of the door with his hands, his long tail coming up to aim towards Qrow. Gold eyes flicked to violet. "Oh, how I've waited for-"

Qrow aimed the flare gun at Tyrian’s chest and fired.

The light was blinding. Tyrian screeched, holding his hands over his eyes and toppled backwards away from the door. Qrow could hear Kingfisher's hook slicing through the air, and the sound of Tyrian's rage-filled yells was dragged further away. The flare itself had bounced and landed at Qrow's feet. 

Scrambling towards the gap, Qrow dropped the empty gun and transformed. He angled his wings to slide through and up into the air. Away from the flare, and with new eyes, he could see much better. 

Tyrian was back on his feet, trying to close the distance to Clover. The operative was wielding his weapon like a whip, weaving the line in complicated circles around him, not letting the faunus get within striking distance.

Letting out a growl of frustration, Tyrian flipped backwards and opened fire with his weapons. Clover dove behind a piece of wreckage for cover. The faunus took off at a run towards his position, continuing to lay down suppressing fire.

" _Oh no you don't_ ," Qrow thought.

He twisted in the air and dove towards Tyrian. A few scant feet above his target, he transformed back to human form. With the transferred momentum he rotated in the air, twirling Harbinger out into its scythe form with a flurry of mechanical grinding.

Tyrian looked straight up at him, his shocked expression quickly transforming to a grin. He crossed his twin pincer blades above his head, catching the outer edge of Harbinger's curve. With a _whoosh_ of compressed air, the impact cracked the ice beneath Tyrian’s feet, but the faunus held steady. 

Qrow continued over Tyrian's head in an arc and pulled the transformation trigger. The handle of Harbinger tilted down, pulling the shotgun barrels parallel with the blade, pointing directly at Tyrian.

The faunus shoved the scythe away with his tail just as Qrow's other arm reached the trigger to fire. The blast propelled Qrow backwards. He slid to a stop in the snow, transforming Harbinger back to a broadsword. 

His right arm burned from the strain of the maneuver. He desperately hoped Tyrian didn't notice him putting more of Harbinger's weight in his left hand.

Clover stood up from behind the wreckage. He and Qrow were a few feet apart, Tyrian further away and back towards the rear of the Manta. Red light from the flare was spilling out of the broken door, casting the faunus in a hellish glare.

"Oh, my deepest apologies!" Tyrian held a hand to his chest in mock surprise, looking at Clover. "I was just trying to help. You see, I thought your orders were to arrest Qrow."

Clover gritted his teeth and gripped Kingfisher with white knuckles. He said nothing.

"Still confused, little soldier? I must say, sowing chaos in Atlas was always our mission, but I never expected _this_ confrontation." His eyes turned to Qrow, his grin turning savage. "Ironwood required quite a push to fall to fear, but this was almost too easy."

"Enough," Qrow snapped, levelling Harbinger at the faunus. "We can do this the easy way, or the _very_ hard way. For you."

"Hmm, I still have some time." Tyrian shifted his feet, getting ready to spring at them. Both Qrow and Clover tensed. "Might as well have some fun."

He sprang at Qrow, but used his tail to redirect himself at the last moment towards Clover. The feint brought Qrow up short and he slid on the snow trying to follow the faunus.

Clover blocked the first barrage of swings with Kingfisher, keeping the line reeled in and using his weapon as a staff. As Qrow closed in, Tyrian caught the rod in a pincer grip and shoved. The operative maintained his balance, but his arms were straining with the effort. 

Qrow went for Tyrian’s shoulder with a heavy, two-handed swing, but the faunus bent backwards to dodge. He let go of Kingfisher and used his tail to propel backwards towards Qrow, twisting in the air. A hand cloaked in violet aura shot towards him. He barely knocked it off course in time, the effort to wrench his sword up through the backswing making his injured arm burn.

Both he and Clover were exhausted. They needed to finish this fast. 

He held Harbinger up to block another slice from Tyrian’s weapon, the pincer sliding along the blade. With his other arm the faunus blind-fired behind him, making Clover roll out of the way. Qrow reached over Harbinger with his left hand to try and grab Tyrian’s arm, but that allowed the faunus to easily break Qrow’s parry. 

The faunus drove his knee into Qrow’s chest, making him double over. He saw the hand that had fired at Clover swing back towards his face, violet sparking at the ends of the talon-like grasp. 

Kingfisher’s hook shot right in front of Qrow’s eyes with expert aim, making Tyrian abruptly pull back. The moment of reprieve allowed Qrow to get steady on his feet again. He glanced back and gave a nod to Clover, who was reeling the hook back in, but snapped his head back as he heard Tyrian advancing again. 

As the faunus swung with both weapons, Qrow squeezed the transformation trigger for a brief moment. Harbinger’s blade split open but stayed straight, and the twin pincers caught in one of the gaps. Qrow heard the sharp noise of Kingfisher reeling out behind him, and Clover’s boots as the operative closed in. 

“Heh,” Tyrian sneered, malicious golden eyes peering over Harbinger’s blade. “You _are_ weaker with him around.” 

Qrow snarled, and slacked his grip on Harbinger, letting the faunus fall towards him. He curled his right hand into a fist and clocked Tyrian right in the face. The sucker punch sent another flash of pain up his arm, but he didn’t care. Tyrian growled and backed up a pace.

“Qrow!”

He ducked, Kingfisher’s hook sailing past him and over Tyrian’s shoulder. Clover ran to Qrow’s right, sliding through the snow with a hand out to catch the hook and pull Tyrian into a bind. 

Qrow let Harbinger fully extend into a scythe and swung it up onto his shoulders, just as Tyrian tried to duck under Kingfisher’s line. But Clover slammed his boot down on the wire just as he grabbed the hook, cutting the line low across the snow and tripping the faunus, sending him right towards Qrow. 

He unleashed a barrage of deadly slices, rolling Harbinger over his shoulders. It sang as it cut through the air like a bladed storm. Tyrian was being crowded back towards Clover. Running out of space, he flung his metallic stinger straight at Qrow’s face. With his aura still intact it wouldn’t have been able to hurt him, but Qrow reflexively jumped backward. Tyrian took advantage of the opening and charged at Clover.

Clover ducked under Tyrian's wild swings, reaching out with the now retracted Kingfisher. He hooked the back of Tyrian's ankle and yanked, sending the faunus tumbling backwards. Qrow swung down in anticipation of an easy hit, but Tyrian planted his hands on the ground and kicked Harbinger out of the way, leaving Qrow open. The second kick to his midsection sent him crashing into a tall piece of wreckage, barely holding on to his weapon.

As he pulled himself to his feet, he switched Harbinger back to it’s broadsword form. His arm couldn’t handle the weight of the scythe’s swings anymore. He glanced up just in time to watch Clover take a running leap at Tyrian, twisting in the air to bring Kingfisher down with punishing force. But the faunus dove under the rod, rolling forward and bracing his hands and shoulders against the snowy plain. Using the momentum from the roll he kicked his legs out, landing a brutal hit on Clover that sent the operative flying backwards. He slammed into the ground, teal aura flickering, and skidded backwards several feet through the snow.

Qrow’s heart clenched in fear as he watched Clover shakily push up onto his knees, one hand clutching his side that had hit the ice. His aura had to be dangerously low.

Tyrian let out a cutting, maniacal laugh, before sighing dramatically. "I hate to cut this short,” the faunus declared, turning his gaze towards Qrow. “But Her Grace is due to appear any moment now, and I simply cannot miss her glorious arrival!" 

"You're not going _anywhere_ ," Qrow snarled. "You and I have a score to settle."

“Hmm, I can’t disagree with that. But it wouldn’t be very fair of me to duel you when you’re clearly not at your best, would it?” Ignoring Qrow’s glare, he continued, “I can compromise, I suppose, if you’d allow for a level playing field.” He glanced back at Clover, the man still kneeling in the snow, then back to Qrow. “What say you let me remove the _weakness_ -” he jerked his head towards Clover, “you’re protecting, and then we can _finish it_.”

His hands shook from how hard he gripped Harbinger. He narrowed his eyes, forcing a breath through his clenched teeth that billowed out through the cold air. Something deep within his soul snapped.

"No? You _wouldn’t_ prefer that? You did say you worked better _alone_ , didn't you?"

Rage. White hot, blinding, all consuming rage spread through Qrow's blood like wildfire. The mere suggestion of allowing Tyrian to hurt Clover set off a deep, ferocious anger within him that rose to a boil instantly and overpowered his instincts.

He had felt this the first time he fought Tyrian, when the bastard had hurt Ruby. His niece. Someone he cared about.

Someone he loved.

His semblance crackled around him.

With a shout of pure rage, he flung himself at Tyrian, both hands gripping Harbinger. Clover's voice called out with something, a warning? But he couldn't hear it over the blood rushing in his ears. 

He didn't notice Tyrian's hand behind his back until he flung it out, hurling something at Qrow. He reflexively switched to a one-handed grip, lifting Harbinger above his head with only his right hand to try and slice at the thrown object.

But the wound on his arm throbbed, slowing his motion.

A set of bolas wrapped around Qrow's chest, pinning his left arm. 

Their grip felt loose -- they must have been the pair Tyrian had been bound with -- but it was enough to stymie Qrow's momentum. Harbinger’s downward arc continued, but there was hardly any strength to his blow. Tyrian blocked it easily with one forearm, then grabbed the hilt with his other hand and ripped it out of Qrow's grasp. A simultaneous kick to his knee sent Qrow to the ground, landing hard on his right shoulder with a pained groan.

The faunus turned and hurled the sword at Clover, who had started to advance directly behind Tyrian. The operative dodged it, barely. Harbinger dug into the snow and came to a rest standing straight up. Clover had slid onto the ground to avoid it, and was now scrambling to get up, reeling out Kingfisher. "Qrow!"

Tyrian spread his fingers like claws, the purple shine of his aura-breaking semblance appearing. Qrow pushed himself up with his free arm, pain radiating up through his shoulder. If he was quick, he could transform when Tyrian would strike...

The strike didn't come. Tyrian only tilted his head slightly. 

Kingfisher's hook squealed through the air.

A sinister grin spread across Tyrian's face. Violet eyes taunted him.

Qrow let out a gasp, feeling his stomach drop.

He saw Clover a few feet behind Tyrian, his stance wobbly from fatigue and desperation in his eyes as he made the frantic swing with his weapon. 

Tyrian cocked his head to the side, letting the hook fly past him, and caught the line with his hand. He shot his elbow up, pulling the line taut. In an effort to not lose his footing, Clover's grip weakened on the rod. With a brutal pull, Tyrian yanked the weapon out of Clover's hands, sending it flying past Qrow's shoulder. 

In the blink of an eye, Tyrian turned, crouched low, and pounced at Clover, who was still recovering from having Kingfisher torn from his grasp. Tyrian swiped his right hand across Clover's midsection, splitting the teal aura there into deep gashes. Using the momentum of his leap, he drove the sharp blades of his left-hand weapon into Clover's torso, just below his ribs.

Qrow felt the breath leave him.

Pitching forward with a pained grunt, Clover’s futilely tried to pull Tyrian's arm away. He let out another gasp as Tyrian's right hand dug through his aura again, this time on his chest, right next to his pin.

Right over his heart. 

The mechanical tail rose, stinger pointed directly at the gap in Clover’s aura.

Qrow screamed.

He was too far away, weaponless and partially restrained. He'd never make it time. There was only one thing he could do. One paltry, desperate hope.

Clover's lessons about his semblance flooded his mind. Qrow concentrated on the energy he had held with a tenuous, uneasy grip during combat. Focusing on Tyrian, Qrow pulled all his reserves of aura up around him. His semblance billowed like a raging storm, barely contained by the walls Qrow always had up.

He trusted Clover.

And then he let it go.


	4. Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow unleashes his semblance, and finally defeats the nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: This chapter contains canon-typical violence, and the death of a villain character.

There was a horrifying screeching that echoed all around them, followed by a thunderous _boom_. Beneath the fighters, the ground trembled and split apart, ice grinding against ice in a discordant cacophony. The freak ice-quake spread across the entire crater.

Qrow tumbled to the ground, his aura sputtering and sparking around him, utterly spent from the overwhelming focusing of his semblance. But in the fall, the edge of the bolas binding his left arm caught on a shard of ice sticking out of the ground, slicing the cords apart. Directly to his right, having slid down a sheet of twisting snow towards him, was Kingfisher.

He snapped his gaze back up.

And watched Clover slip on the crackling ice. 

It was a tiny effect. Qrow felt like time had slowed down, seeing Clover tilt backwards and rotate ever so slightly in Tyrian’s grasp.

The stinger shot forward with lightning speed, slamming straight into Clover’s chest.

_No._

The force from the blow sent Clover to the ground with a thud. 

_It wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough._

A final fissure in the ice burst open between the two, sending Clover sliding away and Tyrian stumbling back towards Qrow. The faunus whirled around, and the triumph the huntsman expected to see was nowhere on his face. Tyrian was enraged, features twisted in anger.

"YOU-" 

He fired a shot at Qrow, shattering the huntsman's aura. The impact wrenched Qrow’s shoulder back, making him gasp in pain.

"INSOLENT-"

His stance shifted, about to launch himself at Qrow.

"MEDDLING-"

**BOOM**

Tyrian yelled and crashed into the snow on his knees. His aura shattered. Purple sparks floated in the air around him.

Qrow grabbed Kingfisher and stood. Harbinger was still standing straight up in the snow where it had landed, but it's hilt was pulled back and the twin guns, aimed at Tyrian's back, were smoking. Leaning against the blade, hand clutching the trigger, was Clover.

Alive. 

He grinned weakly at Qrow, then collapsed back into the snow. 

Tyrian stood up, ready to take advantage of Qrow's frozen shock. He instead got sent to his knees again when several bolts of electric dust impacted his side.

Qrow’s eyes snapped to the top of the crater. Robyn stood, Veracity aimed at the faunus, teeth bared in a snarl. "You're not getting away this time!"

Kingfisher was an unfamiliar weapon in his hands, but he had an idea. And one last trick up his sleeve. 

Mouthing 'Draw him!' to Robyn, he aimed Clover's weapon and shot it over Tyrian's back. It hooked into the hole near Harbinger's hilt. With a yank, Qrow sent his sword spinning high into the air. 

Tyrian's head turned towards the sound of the broadsword cutting through the air, but was quickly distracted by Robyn sending another barrage of dust infused arrows at him. He deflected many, but it was taking all of his concentration to stop the arrows from hitting his aura-less body.

Qrow dropped Kingfisher, transformed, and flew silently into the air. He turned back to his human form as he reached Harbinger, catching the hilt in his hands. The momentum from his soar carried him a little bit higher, then a brief feeling of weightlessness came. 

In that sliver of frozen time he remembered trying to protect Ruby from this monster. He thought of all the people Tyrian had hurt -- team JNR, the hunters and huntresses of Mistral, the innocents in Mantle, Robyn’s supporters. 

Clover.

Himself.

Gravity took back over and he plummeted.

He landed directly behind Tyrian. 

Without a second thought, he gripped Harbinger and plunged it straight through Tyrian's back. 

Robyn stopped firing immediately. Tyrian gasped in pain, clawing for a brief moment at Harbinger's blade. Qrow heard him whisper, in a shaking voice, "She'll....forgive me...."

Qrow pulled his weapon back. Tyrian collapsed onto the ground in front of him. Harbinger, covered in blood, fell from his hands. The huntsman took a deep, trembling breath. His emotions started to catch up with him, and his eyes started to water. He turned and sprinted towards Clover.

Robyn slid down into the crater as he ran, calling out, "Med kit?"

"Through the broken door, and there's a flare," Qrow answered, his voice shaky. He dropped to his knees at Clover's side.

Teal eyes blinked open. "I...hoped that would work." A weak but warm smile was on Clover's face. “Nice flying.”

"How?" Qrow asked, still in shock. "How did you..." he trailed off as he looked over Clover's injuries.

The operative was clutching at the gash under his ribs, which would definitely need medical attention. Qrow immediately helped put more pressure on it. Eyes trailing up, Qrow expected to see a horrific wound right over Clover’s heart.

What he saw instead, was a twisted hunk of metal, and a thin line of reddish-purple blood cutting through the white uniform across Clover's upper chest.

Clover's pin was shattered.

The four-leaf clover was bent inwards, the green plating it sat on fractured in several places. The silver horseshoe was twisted and barely still attached, dangling off the edge of his lapel. 

Realization stuck Qrow. Tyrian's stinger had hit the pin, instead of burying deep into Clover's heart, because he slipped. It had glanced off, cutting a long but very thin line across Clover's collarbone to his shoulder, slicing through his uniform. That wound was tinged with violet, the telltale sign of the poison Qrow had been unfortunately well acquainted with. But it was extremely shallow compared to Qrow's matching injury. 

They needed to get him to a doctor, but his injuries weren't fatal. 

Clover lived.

Fear transformed into overwhelming relief. He felt tears start to slip down his cheeks.

Hissing erupted behind them, and the pair were bathed in red light as Robyn shot off two flares. Clover glanced at the ascending light, then back to Qrow. He reached a hand up to wipe away Qrow’s tears, then laid his hand on Qrow’s own, entwining their fingers together.

"Qrow," he said softly. "You saved me. Your semblance saved my life." He smiled even brighter. "Lucky me, huh?"

The huntsman was briefly at a loss for words. Finally, he just spoke the one thought that had been dominating his mind.

"Stay with me, ok? Just...just stay with me."

Clover squeezed his hand.

Robyn arrived with the medical kit. Qrow wiped away the wetness around his eyes, then turned to her. "I...thank you. I can't thank you enough. Are you alright?"

"Head hurts a bit," she answered, flipping open the kit and pulling out bandages. "I'll get it checked out, but I'm fine for now. Pilot is awake too, but groggy. I told him to stay up there. That huge screech from the ice woke us up. I saw another Manta coming our way before I came down, so they'll be here soon. We're all going to be fine." She turned for a moment and looked back at Tyrian's body, then looked Qrow straight in the eye. "Good job."

"You too," Qrow said, barely able to keep the shaking out of his voice. “I would have never gotten that hit in without your help.”

“I don’t know, that bird trick was pretty impressive. I have some questions about that, later.”

“Uh, right.” He looked back to Clover. "We should try and get as much of the poison out as possible."

Robyn and Qrow worked together, getting Clover's wounds patched up as much as they could with the field kit. Clover’s breathing was steady, but he was wincing in pain occasionally. Qrow kept one of his hands on the side of Clover’s face, brushing his thumb over Clover’s cheek, hoping it gave the man some small comfort. Clover leaned into his touch. 

The Manta from Atlas landed within minutes, sending a light drift of snow blowing over the edge crater. Five Atlesian soldiers slid down into the crater, two of them holding a stretcher between them. Four approached the group, while one picked up the bloodied Harbinger, turned around, and started walking back to the Manta.

"Qrow, you have to leave." Clover said suddenly, his voice a hoarse croak.

"W-what? No, I'm staying here with yo-"

"They'll arrest you, Qrow," Clover explained. "They'll have the same orders as I did. And I was wrong. I was so wrong, and I'm sorry. But they don't know that. Go," he implored. "Go get your family, Qrow. I'm going to be ok, I promise." 

Qrow froze, finding it hard to breathe again. He had to get to his family. But leaving Clover felt so wrong. Behind him, he heard one of the soldiers call out, "Huntsman Branwen, please back away. You're under arrest."

Robyn stood up and approached the group. "Hey, hang on, there's been a situation here."

As Robyn argued, Clover grasped Qrow's hand. "Qrow, please." He pulled Qrow's hand to his lips and kissed it. "This won't be forever. Go." Letting go of Qrow's hand, he carefully flicked the mangled mess of his pin. 

Behind the soldiers, the back half of the crashed Manta rolled over in the snow. They all spun around at the loud noise of creaking metal.

Qrow stared into Clover's eyes, trying as hard as he could to commit their exact, beautiful shade to memory. Just in case, the weary part of his heart said. The hopeful part, still newly growing, said out loud, "Find me."

He took off in a rush of feathers. Startled yells filled the air behind him. Trying to secure his weapon without causing a ruckus and delaying Clover's transport to a hospital would be impossible, so he just turned to the direction of Atlas and soared high into the sky. 

It felt as though he was leaving behind a part of his soul, in more ways than one. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Qrow arrived at the city just in time to witness the huge blast of magical energy exploding from a tall building on the lower ring of Atlas. He had witnessed such a display of power once before, from Amber. He changed course and flew towards the tower as fast as possible, arduously beating his wings against the frigid air. As he reached the building, he saw a Manta pulling away from a huge hole in the wall, and spied a flash of red jumping on board as it departed. He was able to shoot inside just as the door was closing. 

Transforming, he ignored the bewildered shouts of half the occupants in the hold and all but collapsed into one of the seats.

“Uncle Qrow!!” Ruby shouted, running up to him and holding his shoulders. “Oh my gods, are you ok?” 

“I’m-” he gasped, completely out of breath from both the fight and flight. “I’m alright, just need to catch my breath.”

It took some convincing to get Ruby to go back to her friends. He appreciated her concern, but he really needed a moment alone. She reluctantly walked back to Weiss, though she shot a worried look at Yang. Qrow rested his head against the wall of the Manta, and let out a long sigh.

He couldn't believe what had happened in the past hour. Why had James put out that warrant? He wished Clover had ignored his orders right away, though he acknowledged that was a naive wish. Why did Tyrian have to break out of his bindings? Why did Qrow continue to argue with Clover, despite the man doing nothing but aid Qrow after the crash? He hoped Clover would forgive him, someday. He hoped he would still be able to see Clover again.

He hoped he hadn't ruined everything between Clover and himself.

After taking a moment to calm his racing thoughts, Qrow looked around the packed cabin. Maria was in the pilot seat, taking them down to Mantle on a smooth trajectory. Pietro Polendina was seated just behind her, holding his daughter's hand with both of his, speaking encouraging words to her. Qrow had only gotten a snippet of the story from Ruby after he boarded, but he did know that the girl was now the new Winter Maiden. It surprised him that it was even possible, but he wasn't worried. What he knew of Penny from Ruby was so positive he couldn't really think of a better candidate than the Protector of Mantle. The girl left Pietro to sit next to his niece and Weiss.

Team JNR was present, but Oscar wasn't, apparently having gone to speak with Ironwood. This did worry Qrow, and he planned to search for the boy the moment everyone else was secure. Nora sat next to Ren on the ground, the latter with his head in one hand, looking shaken. The ginger-haired girl had her hand on Ren's shoulder, rubbing comforting circles with her thumb. Jaune had been sitting next to Nora, but stood and approached Qrow.

"Hey, uh, Qrow," he started, gesturing to Qrow's injured arm. Clover's armband, which Qrow had nearly forgotten he was wearing, had helped a lot, but some blood had seeped out from the exertion of the fight. "Looks like you took some hits. Can I give you a boost?"

"Sure, kid," he nodded. 

Jaune placed his hand on Qrow's shoulder, his eyebrows raising in alarm. "Gosh, your aura practically burnt out. What happened?" he asked as he began to repair Qrow's aura.

"Big fight. We killed Tyrian." Jaune's expression hardened at that, but he nodded in approval. Qrow continued, "But it was rough." He sighed. "Really rough."

"Well, you'll be alright. Just make sure you rest once we get settled in Mantle." 

That was a luxury Qrow probably couldn't afford, but he didn't say that out loud, only nodding. The young huntsman finished, and though Qrow sensed his aura was still low, he felt a million times better. "Thanks, kid. I really appreciated that."

"Any time, Qrow. We look out for each other, right?" he asked as he returned to his teammates. The question made Qrow frown, his mind flashing back to his argument with Clover again.

He didn't notice Yang sit down next to him until she touched his arm. Turning to look at her, he saw her glance at the red armband before looking up at him.

"Hey," she said. "You ok?"

His impulse was to reply in the affirmative, to make sure the kids weren't worrying about him. They just went through hell too, there was no need for him to be a burden. 

_You are not a burden, Qrow_.

The memory tugged his tongue loose. "...not really. Sort of. There was a lot of hurt down there." He frowned, glancing away. "Not just physically. And not all of it was caused by Callows."

"I’ve...felt that sort of thing before," Yang said, a deep compassion in her eyes. She reached her hand out to hold his, metal fingers curling around his palm. "It's not easy. But we're here for you, just like you're here for us, Uncle Qrow."

Brothers, when had she grown up so fast? _When she had to_ , Qrow reminded himself. He smiled at her, "Thanks, firecracker. I'm just worried about Clover. I was afraid I wasn't going to make it back to all of you and...I said some things I shouldn't have said. I just hope we can work things out...if he wants to."

"Qrow?" He turned to see Blake standing in front of him, one arm crossed over herself and holding her other elbow. She looked a little nervous, but her voice was firm. "Whatever you do, don't run." Yang sucked in a little breath next to him, but didn't interrupt. "Even if you think it's the best thing to do, to protect the people you care about. Those people care more about you being around them." 

Qrow was speechless for a moment, silently thanking the gods for having found this extended family. "Thank you, Blake. I won't forget that."

She smiled, then glanced at Yang before going to talk to Maria at the helm.

Qrow and Yang sat in silence for a while long, before Qrow muttered, quiet enough for only Yang to hear, "You picked pretty good, don't let her go."

Yang scoffed at him, pink on her cheeks, "I don't know what you're talking about."

They both laughed at that, then sat in comfortable silence for a while.

The risen sun shined through the windows as Qrow glanced out. He spotted the crash site just outside the walls of Mantle, and could only see the ruined Manta, not the other rescue craft. Hope bloomed in his chest. They had gotten Clover back to Atlas quickly. 

Qrow held onto that hope, and prayed it would last until he saw Clover again.


	5. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover wakes up in Atlas and quickly realizes that the Grimm aren't the only problem for Mantle, team RWBY, and Qrow.

Clover dreamt. Or maybe they were just memories. In either case he didn't want to leave them. They were all so good. Meeting the new arrivals to Atlas flowed into training with them, watching Qrow instruct the kids with a smile. He was fighting with the rest of the Ace Ops in the mines, showing the kids how it's done, and then he turned a corner and he's teaching Qrow how to channel his semblance, patient and hopeful. A quiet moment gazing at celestial lights atop the academy bleeds into a not-so-quiet moment of birds swarming around his feet and Qrow's warm, bellowing laugh.

_Qrow._

Qrow was pervasive in his dreams.

There are hints of bad memories -- arguing, accusations, anger -- but it fades away to Qrow blocking attacks, him helping Qrow in combat, Qrow hurling himself at a cackling monster to protect Clover. 

He remembers the surprise attack, fast as lightning, pain blossoming in his chest. The feeling of Qrow's semblance erupting, the air thick with the foreboding presence of misfortune. A deep rumble of power as he fired Harbinger's guns. And then a lot of cold. 

But slowly, warmth returned. Warm hands on him, pressing down on his wounds. Warm red light flooding the sky, matching the warm red of Qrow’s eyes. Warm was how the back of Qrow's hand had felt when he kissed it. 

“ _Stay with me, ok?_ ”

His memories were interrupted by a steadily growing beeping sound, pulling him out of his dreams. Light filtered into his vision gradually and he realized he was blinking up at a bare white ceiling. Somewhere nearby someone was tapping away on a scroll. Glancing around, he could see he was in an Atleasian hospital room. Kingfisher rested on a table next to him, but the rest of his equipment was gone. Out of the corner of his eye he could also see an explosion of colour on the edge of the table, though he wasn't sure what it was. He was wearing a hospital gown and could feel the bandages wrapped around his midsection. 

Right. Tyrian Callows had stabbed him in the gut, and had nearly speared him straight through his heart.

With a slight groan, muscles aching, Clover pushed himself up to a sitting position. Now he could see the practical cornucopia of flowers flooding the table. Yellow roses, blue morning glories, deep red daisies, and soft pink dogwood in four separate vases. It looked like a rainbow.

There was one other bed in the room. It's occupant was the source of the tapping, though she stopped when Clover sat up. A small vase of delicate white snowdrops was set on her table.

Winter Schnee set down her scroll and nodded to Clover. Her right arm was completely bandaged and there was a fading bruise around her right eye. "Captain Ebi, it's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Specialist Schnee, I'm...good. Thank you. Are you ok?" He couldn't remember a single instance of Winter being injured in battle. Even in comparison to his freakish good luck, she always appeared untouchable. A statue of Atlesian might, not a hair out of place. Seeing her in a hospital bed was a little unnerving.

"I'm just fine, thank you. There was an attack by Salem's operatives, but I'm recovering just fine."

The reminder of Salem made Clover turn sharply to look out the window. There was a sharp pain in his stomach at the sudden movement -- he'd need to remember not to do that. Craning his neck, he let out a sigh of relief when he could still see Mantle spreading out below the edge of Atlas. 

"Hm."

He turned back to Winter. Her expression was nearly unreadable, but Clover spied both an irritated downturn to her lips and relief in her eyes. 

"How much do you know?" she asked.

"Not very much. We received a transmission from Ruby that Ironwood was going to send Atlas into the sky to get away from Salem. I can see that didn't happen."

Winter sighed, "Correct. A _lot_ has happened, Captain." 

"How long has it been?"

"Three days. I'll explain as much as I can."

Winter began with a brief account of her own actions after Ruby's frantic call. A fierce battle with the woman who had stolen the Fall Maiden's powers, ending with Penny Polendina becoming the new Winter Maiden. That wasn't General Ironwood's original intent, and it clearly weighed on Winter. Clover didn't press for details.

Cinder had escaped, and Penny had left with team RWBY and the others. With the Maiden gone, Ironwood's plan of raising Atlas was impossible. As the first wave of flying Grimm charged towards the cities, it seemed as if all hope had faded.

"I made my way to the outer walls as quickly as I could." Winter explained. "I got there just as the first wave arrived. General Ironwood was at the head of the ground forces, taking on as many Grimm as possible. I've never seen him so angry before. We fought with all our strength, but we knew it wouldn't be enough. A second wave of Grimm was descending, with Salem just behind them. The General was cursing both her and the..." she faltered. "...the traitors that had taken the Staff and any hope of Atlas' survival from him." 

Clover felt his blood run cold at that, but remained silent. 

"But then," Winter sighed, shaking her head. "I still don't know how to explain it. There was a sound like lightning crackling. A green dome of energy suddenly surrounded the entire city. It almost looked like a huge shield of aura. Then Penny appeared, shooting up from below the city towards the Grimm. She wasn't alone -- there was a ribbon of red petals alongside her.”

“Ruby?” Clover asked.

Winter nodded. “They wove in and out of the edge of the energy dome, Penny leaving sparks of Maiden magic as they went. At that point, the Grimm swarmed them, but Penny decimated anything that got close. Once they reached the furthest part of the dome, there was an explosion of silver light. The screeching of the Grimm around us immediately stopped, and we were pelted by pieces of Grimm bodies turned to stone."

"...what?" Clover said, barely louder than a whisper. "What did that?"

“Ruby Rose did that. Or at least the silver flash was her, whatever power that was amplified by Penny’s Maiden ability and the dome. And it annihilated the Grimm. The entirety of the first two waves were dead, falling to the ground and shattering. And the blast was just large enough to reach the huge creature Salem was riding."

She described the massive behemoth, something Clover was sure would give him nightmares. "The front of the beast was frozen, though it was still alive. But the display was clearly enough to frighten Salem. She retreated over the mountains to the north."

Winter pushed aside her blankets and got out of her bed. "If you're able, come here. You should see this with your own eyes."

Carefully, Clover did the same, cautious of aggravating his stomach wound. He joined Winter at the window on the same wall as his bed, close to the door. 

Outside, he could the northern edge of the city of Atlas, and beyond that the bare expanse of tundra. It shined a stark white in the daylight. On the horizon were snow capped mountains. Usually, the view would be a serene sight. 

Now it looked like a nightmare. Flying Grimm swarmed like flies between two of the largest peaks; there had to be thousands of them. Dark violet clouds hung over the range, clashing with the powder blue of the rest of the sky. The slopes of the mountains were pitch black, instead of their usual gradient of soft greys. As Clover's eyes adjusted to the light, he realized with a quiet horror that the mountainside was _throbbing_ , like the beat of his own heart. The slopes were literally pulsing with Grimm. Clover gripped the edge of the windowsill, his hands clammy. 

An army that large was a death sentence. Atlas should have been destroyed by this horde of monsters. 

"Ruby...stopped _that_?" He couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice.

"Yes," Winter said. "Or at least paused it. Several attacks are sent daily, targeting both Atlas and Mantle. We've managed to hold them off, but it's clear she's sieging us out. And she has the numbers to hold out longer than we can." 

"Do we have a plan?" Clover asked, turning and walking towards his bed. He needed to sit down. 

There was a weighted pause. "General Ironwood has a plan, yes. He still believes that the best course of action is to move the relic, and therefore Atlas, as far away from Salem as possible."

"But he needs the Maiden for that." A part of him felt guilty when Winter, having also gone back to her bed, averted her gaze. It was clearly a sore subject. But he needed to get up to date as quickly as possible, so he pressed on. "If Penny went with team RWBY, I'll assume that she doesn't agree with the General's plan."

"She does not," Winter nodded. Another pause. "Many people don't agree with his plan. But the General makes the hard choices so that the rest of us don't have to. For the good of all of us."

That sounded so robotic it was impossible for Clover to think she believed her own words. "Has General Ironwood attempted to communicate with them?" he asked.

"If by communicate, you mean apprehend, then yes. Team RWBY and the others are hiding somewhere in Mantle. They only emerge to fight the waves of Grimm Salem sends. General Ironwood has been splitting the army between defending Atlas from the same assaults, and attempting to capture the fugitives."

"He's not also defending Mantle?"

"...No."

"Winter, you can't possibly think this is right."

"That doesn't matter!" She glared at him. "You should know that, Clover. We follow our orders."

"Unless they're unethical. I made that mistake and it almost cost me...everything."

Sighing, Winter asked, "We may not agree with his methods, Clover, but when has Ironwood ever led us astray?"

He had thought the same thing on the Manta. "There's a first time for everything," he said firmly.

Winter stared at him for a few moments, before looking down at her hands. "Something happened to you out there." When he didn't respond, she continued, "He doesn't see us winning against her army, and I can't disagree with him. I've never seen such a strong force of Grimm."

"He's never going to convince Penny, or any of the others, to abandon Mantle," Clover pointed out. "And how is he planning on capturing a Maiden?"

"He isn’t, he knows that's impossible. Once Salem had dug in, she sent him a message. She will spare both Atlas and Mantle if he hands over both the Staff of Creation, and...and Ruby Rose."

Dread crept into his mind at the prospect. A few days ago Clover would have laughed at the idea of James considering such a trade. Now, knowing that he would abandon half his Kingdom to ruin, Clover wasn't so sure. "He can't possibly believe she's telling the truth."

"Of course not. But the threat might be enough. He plans to capture Ruby, _not_ to give her to Salem, but to force Penny to come back to Atlas and unlock the vault. Then he could enact his original plan." 

Clover sat with all of this information in silence for a moment. He felt his worldview starting to splinter. The foundations of the life he had built himself here in Atlas were now fractured. He still wanted to trust James, he had always trusted James, but Brothers above this was...this wasn't the man Clover knew. Or at least thought he knew. 

For the past three days, a group of fresh hunters and huntresses, their guardian, and a brand new Maiden had been the only defence Mantle had against swarms of Grimm. They had to fight on two fronts, against both the monsters and James' attempts to apprehend them. The people of Mantle watched as strangers fought to protect them while Atlas stood above, silent and uncaring. 

Why was James doing this? Had there been signs, something Clover should have noticed that would have warned him of James' state? 

His train of thoughts was broken by the door of the room sliding open. In walked the man himself, James Ironwood. His eyes, cold and lightless, looked exhausted.

"General Ironwood, sir," Winter saluted from her bed.

"Specialist," Ironwood nodded, still looking at Clover. "Captain Ebi, I'm glad to see you recovering."

"...thank you, sir." 

"You'll have the rest of the week off to continue your recovery. I want you to be as healthy as possible, but I'll also need your leadership and skills in the apprehension of the fugitives." When Clover didn't respond, he continued, "While I was sorry to hear that Branwen escaped, I do want to commend you for the excellent job taking down Tyrian Callows."

Clover swallowed, steeling himself before responding, "Robyn Hill and Qrow Branwen were instrumental in that effort, sir. I would have died if it wasn't for them."

Winter shot Clover a mildly panicked look, while Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "I see. While I'm extremely thankful that you survived the encounter with Callows, I hope that your feelings towards Branwen helping you won't get in the way of your duty." His tone was ice cold.

"It won't, sir," Clover lied.

"Good. Specialist Schnee, I'll see you tomorrow. Until you're both discharged, please rest. Atlas needs you at your best." He turned on his heel and left. 

The two of them were silent for minutes, before Winter finally spoke again. "I know this is difficult, Clover. I'm sorry."

He looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm not." After watching her expression turn from sorrow to shock, he turned and looked through the window next to his bed at the sprawl of Mantle. "I'm not sorry at all."


	6. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover runs an errand, and also receives help from an unexpected avenue.

He was discharged from the hospital two days later, but was told to keep to mostly bed rest and only light activity for another week. Ironwood was agreeable to the extension in his recovery, but asked Clover to help design the plans for the next set of missions to apprehend Ruby, if he felt well enough.

"She is usually sighted with Branwen, who is regularly in the field despite missing his weapon. You were partnered with him on several missions, so your knowledge of his fighting style would be valuable," he explained.

"Of course, sir. I'm still somewhat lightheaded, but within a day or two I should be able to help." The lie was so easy to craft and deliver it made Clover uncomfortable. But not as uncomfortable as the thought of using his more personal knowledge of Qrow to try and capture his niece. 

"Good, thank you Captain. You're dismissed."

Clover walked out of Ironwood's office with a heavy heart. He had gone to try and talk him out of his plans, but James wouldn't listen. Getting Atlas to safety was the only option, he had said. Even if it meant betraying former friends. 

On his way out, Clover stopped by Winter's office. When he went to see Ironwood, she had been storming out of his office. She had her elbows on her desk and head in her hands when he quietly knocked on the door. She looked up at him, clearly troubled. 

"Are you ok?" Clover asked.

"I'm...did he ask you to use Qrow to get to Ruby?"

Clover crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Essentially, yes." Winter's hands balled into fists, and she looked back down at her desk. After a moment, he asked, "Weiss?"

After taking a shaky breath, she stood. "I need to pay a visit to my mother. If you'll excuse me, Captain."

He nodded, standing straight again. "I'm sorry Winter, that's not fair. I hope he changes his mind." She gave him a look that said they both knew that wasn't going to happen.

Leaving the academy, Clover started walking towards the artisan district. He had to clear his head, and he had an errand to run anyway. The clean white tiles and buildings of the academy gave way to one of the only areas in Atlas that could be described as colourful. Even with the city under siege, the district still bustled with activity. The smells from a dozen different food shops mixed in the air. A series of street vendor carts were arrayed into a packed but well organized section of the main square, a large fountain between them and the rows of storefronts. Unlike the minimalistic design of the academy, the stores here had an artistic flare to them, with window signs and decorated street-posts highlighting the unique aspects of each shop.

It reminded Clover of the vibrant districts in Mantle where he and Qrow had gone for dinner several times. 

Making his way through the crowds, Clover finally reached his destination. The sign hanging above the door of the shop was cast in bronze, it's weight making it barely budge in the breeze. Inlaid with gold were the words ‘The Frozen Anvil’. Clover opened the door and stepped inside, a bell signalling his arrival. 

"Be right with you!" called a voice from the back room. 

"No rush, Aurelius, it's just me." Clover glanced around at the wares. Beautiful works of metal lined the shelves, from large sculptures of bronze to tiny trinkets cast in gold. The deep mahogany wood, from which both the shelves and counter were built, gave the room a warm, welcoming feeling. Clover walked across the dark grey tiles and leaned against the counter just as Aurelius came through the doorway at the back of the shop.

Their golden blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, and flecks of soot dotted their pale skin on their arms. They wore a blacksmith's apron, also covered in soot. "Clover! It's good to see you, it's been so long," they said with a smile, leaning against the opposite side of the counter.

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just been so busy. Glad to see your business is still doing well."

"I've been pretty lucky, all things considered, with the embargo," Aurelius replied. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yeah, I need a repair done." Clover reached into his pants pocket and took out his mangled pin, handing it to Aurelius. 

Their eyes widened, "What happened to this?"

"I took a bad hit in combat. I'm doing just fine now," he added to quell the worry in his friend’s eyes, "but this pin actually saved my life."

"Well I'm not glad to hear that happened to you, but I am glad to see my work held up that well." They turned the pin over in their hands, studying the damage. "Should be easy enough to fix. I can get the clover back into shape just fine, and I'll put a new enamel backing on it since this one shattered so much. The horseshoe looks rough, but I should be able to reforge it to look like it did before. I can have it done in a few days, if that works for you?"

"Actually, I was thinking of doing something a little different this time..."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Four days later, Clover realized he was running out of time. Ironwood wasn't going to believe that he was unable to help with planning the attacks on team RWBY for much longer. In his heart, he knew precisely what he wanted to do. He wanted to fulfill his oath to his Kingdom, to protect all of Atlas with his life. He wanted to go to Mantle and defend it from the Grimm. He wanted to follow a leader that believed in hope, not fear.

He wanted to go back to Qrow.

But he had no idea where to even begin searching for them, and if he wasn't careful, he could lead the forces of Atlas straight to them. He needed help, but he didn't know where, if ever, it would come from.

The Ace Ops were relieved to see him on his feet again, but their egos were still sore after being so soundly defeated by team RWBY. Clover loved his team, but he couldn't ask any of them to help him leave. At best, they would be kicked off the operative team.

At worst, they could be branded traitors. Just like Clover would likely be. Just like Ironwood had labelled team RWBY and the others.

A beep from his scroll shook him from his thoughts. Flicking over to his messages, he saw the notification was from Winter.

_[Schnee, W., Spec]: Please come to my office, I have important information to discuss._

Clover guessed it had to do with their new mission. He didn't want to discuss this, but he had to keep up appearances. Tucking his scroll into his pocket, he got up and left the Ace Ops apartment and headed for Winter's office.

"Please close the door," she said when he arrived. He complied, then sat in the chair opposite her desk. She was looking over a report, printed on paper instead of digitized. That was a little out of the ordinary; Clover knew many people who preferred to read paper copies, but he’d never have guessed Winter Schnee was one of them. Winter glanced up at him. "How are you feeling, Captain?"

"Better," he answered, deciding not to elaborate. He still wasn't sure where Winter stood on the situation in Mantle. She had seemed very uncertain the last time they spoke, but Clover had no indication that she would ever act against General Ironwood's orders. 

"I'm glad."

"I hope your mother is well?"

"Yes." Winter's expression softened slightly. "It had been a while since we'd spoken. It was...a difficult conversation. But an important one." She tapped the edge of the file she held. "This is the latest report from our scouts in Mantle on the location of team RWBY and associates." 

"Right," Clover sighed. "You'd like me to take a look?"

"If you wouldn't mind. This just came in, a direct account from a scout who just returned to Atlas. I haven't digitized it yet, but I'll be sending it to the General later today. He of course wants them found as quickly as possible." 

Clover frowned. Winter turned her gaze up to him and Clover suddenly felt like she was looking straight through him. "Unfortunately," she continued, "there's not a lot to go on. The scouting reports have been quite useless lately." She turned the folder around and placed it in front of him.

There was a single, straight sheet of paper inside the folder, along with what looked like two folded pieces. Clover scanned through the first sheet, wondering why Winter wanted him to read it, if the scouting hadn't been successful.

_Hunter Lie Ren and Huntress Nora Valkyrie sighted along with Huntress May Marigold before disappearing near the tunnel entrances. We therefore have reason to believe the fugitives are being aided by Robyn Hill. Analysis of previous sightings suggests they may be sheltering in an old hideout of the Happy Huntresses, near the former workshop of Pietro Polendina._

Clover blinked. This was substantial. What was Winter talking about? He glanced down at the folded pieces of paper, which he now realized were two sealed letters. The name on each was the same, one written in Winter's steady, blunt hand, and the other in a finer, more delicate script.

_Weiss_

His heart pounded in his ears as he looked back up at Winter. Those icy blue eyes were looking right into his soul. "Sometimes," she said, "hard decisions must be made. And right now, Mantle needs to know that they're not alone. Because we cannot abandon our people."

Clover reached out, picked up the letters, and tucked them into his vest.

"Weapons holding block, aisle seven, cabinet thirteen, top drawer."

 _Harbinger_ , he thought. Perfect.

Winter's eyes narrowed. "And it would also be good if a certain group of children had an additional, _more responsible_ , caretaker to help look after them."

He decided not to argue with her on that characterization of Qrow. 

She picked up the sheet from the folder and began methodically tearing it in half several times over. "Thank you for your time Captain, I'll have to write up the report for the General now. Good luck."

"Thank you, Specialist." He stood and began to head out, but paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Winter?" he asked, glancing back at her.

"Yes?"

"It's because of leaders like you that we're going to survive this. I believe in you."

A complex wave of emotions washed over Winter's expression. In the end, she seemed more surprised than anything else. She gave him a curt nod, her voice light, "Thank you, Clover."

He saluted her, then left her office. Outside, he took a few deep breaths to steady himself. 

There was his lucky break.

Now he just needed to finish a few things in Atlas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Aurelius' is of Latin origin, meaning 'golden one'!


	7. Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having made his decision, Clover has an important conversation and picks up several important items.

It was in the process of packing that Clover realized how little he truly had in terms of personal effects. 

Everything that he deemed important could fit into a large duffel bag, and the majority of that was clothes. He decided to take his Ace Ops uniform with him, but had changed into grey pants and a forest green vest over his black undershirt for the journey down to Mantle. The bright white of the Ops clothes would be too conspicuous, and something within him balked at the idea of wearing it when he was about to, for lack of a better term, defect. Tucked in amongst the clothes were a handful of pictures -- of his family back in Argus, of his graduation from the Academy, and the day he had made Captain. He was leaving behind a handful of old books that he hoped Harriet and Marrow would enjoy, and a single houseplant that he trusted Vine would take care of.

There wasn't very much else to his life than his job, was there? The job he was about to leave for a complicated mix of emotions -- frustration with Ironwood, duty to his people, and hope to help save the world. Something stirred in his heart when he thought of Qrow as well, but after the battle with Tyrian and Qrow's escape, it felt so fragile that Clover was afraid to think about it too much. He would face it when he saw Qrow again.

With a sigh, he turned around and left his room. When he had come in, the common room had been empty. But now, Elm was sitting on the couch, hands folded in her lap. The TV wasn't on, and she was looking right at him. Clover stopped in his tracks. 

"I was wondering when you'd be leaving," she said quietly.

"Elm," Clover started, "I can explain-"

She held up her hand, and Clover stopped talking. "You don't have to explain yourself, Captain. I think all of us knew. Even Marrow had an inkling. We all took a beating last week, but you really haven't been the same."

Sometimes Clover wished he wasn’t such an open book.

"We've all had to do some soul searching. We’re the best team in all of Atlas, but those kids wiped the floor with us. They had something more, that let them win even though we’re more experienced. It's something we're going to have to work on, together. And I think you have to do something similar. But the person you need for that isn't here in Atlas, is he?"

Clover gripped the handle of his bag a little harder, but nodded. "You’ve always had good insight, Elm."

"I appreciate that, Captain."

"I'm not going to be your Captain anymore, not once I walk out that door."

She sighed, “Officially, maybe, but you'll always be our leader. And I want you to know that I don't judge you for leaving. Mantle needs help from someone like you."

"And Atlas is still going to need people like you, and the rest of the Ops." He felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. "I know this isn't official, but I'm handing over leadership of the Ace Ops to you. You're a good leader, Elm, and I know that you'll defend our home with integrity."

Elm stood and pulled him into a near bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, Clover," she said quietly, before pulling back and clapping him on both shoulders. Her thousand-watt smile was back in place. "But don't be too shy! I expect to see you back up here once we kick these Grimm to the curb."

With a final goodbye, he left the room, gently closing the door behind him. He lingered outside, reflecting on how long he had worked with the Ops, wondering what the others would think. Was he making the right decision?

The doubt nagged at him as he left the academy and headed towards the artisan district. He was cutting ties with everything he had known for decades. But he knew the orders Ironwood was giving him were wrong. Abandoning Mantle to die was unconscionable. Trying to arrest the people defending it was unacceptable. 

Questions swirled through his mind as he stepped inside The Frozen Anvil. Aurelius was at the counter, clearing away bits of scrap metal. "Ah, Clover! I'll get your items, just a sec'." They went into the back room and returned holding two packages of wrapped cloth. 

"Your repair," they said, holding one package out to Clover. He unwrapped the brown cloth and let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. The silver of the four-leaf clover emblem glimmered in the soft light of the shop. It looked flawless, not a single sign was evident of the catastrophic damage it had endured. The grooves and bevels were pristine, and the symbol now sat on a green plate in the shape of a gear, like the emblem of Atlas. It was centred on the plate, the horseshoe emblem no longer part of the design. 

Clover pinned it to his vest instantly, taking great comfort from the familiar weight. That was at least one piece of his life that was back to normal. "Thank you, Aurelius, it's amazing. Impeccable work, as always."

"Ah, don't say that so fast." They waved the second package before handing it to Clover. "This here may be my best work yet."

It was with a feeling of almost reverence that Clover unwrapped this package. He started down at the item in his palm, breath hitching in his chest. 

Aurelius leaned on the counter, chin resting in their hand. A smile was growing across their features. "That's for someone special, I take it?"

It was subtle, but Clover felt a clarity come to his thoughts. He knew then, deep in his heart, that he was doing the right thing.

"Yes," he answered. "It is."

\----------------------------------------------------

He left the shop a few minutes later, having finally convinced Aurelius to accept the generous tip he wanted to leave. Slipping the second package into his bag, he set off towards his second-to-last destination in Atlas. 

The evidence impound for the Atlesian military was a squat, blocky building on the northern side of the Academy, its dull grey stone making it seem humble compared to the ivory-coloured buildings around it. Clover supposed that the unappealing design was intentional. Giving his new pin a flick, he strolled in through the sliding glass doors.

A uniformed young man sat at the reception desk, rolling a pen back and forth between his fingers and clearly bored out of his mind. His eyes barely flicked up to Clover as he approached. 

"Good morning," Clover said, exuding his usual confidence easily. "Captain Ebi of the Ace Operatives. I need access to weapons containment." Technically, that wasn't a lie.

"Mhm," the man held up a general purpose scroll. "Sign here."

One digital signature and the click of an unlocking door later, Clover was inside one of the more secure facilities within the city. He wasted no time, entering the huge storage bay used for the weapons hold and striding down the aisles. Rows upon rows of tall cabinets stretched on, so far that Clover couldn't see the back wall of the room. At the seventh aisle he turned in and walked for another minute until he reached the cabinet labeled "13". He gripped the handle of the top drawer and slid it open.

There lay Harbinger, clean of blood, the dark steel gleaming despite the washed out glare from the industrial lights above Clover. He lifted it up gently, recalling the power he had felt when he briefly used it. He remembered the sound as it went spinning through the air, and the sight of Qrow snatching it out of the air and falling with the grace of someone entirely at home in the sky.

This weapon belonged with its wielder, and Clover was going to return it.

He unzipped his bag and lifted up half of his personal effects, placing Harbinger in the centre of his neatly folded clothes. After he zipped the bag back up and hefted it onto his shoulder, he closed the cabinet drawer and began walking back out. The guard at the reception didn't even glance at him as he left. 

His final stop was the shuttle bay. Convincing the military shuttle pilot to let him go down with one of the patrols was easy, given his rank. He swallowed his fear as he felt the engines of the Manta start up, and tried not to remember what had happened the last time he had been in one of these. The liftoff from Atlas was bittersweet -- he didn't know when he'd be able to return. Although he hadn’t grown up in Atlas, the city had offered him friendship and purpose.

Clover could only hope, as the Manta descended, that he would be finding the same in Mantle.

“ _Stay with me, ok?_ ”

And perhaps something more.


	8. Trusting Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover finds his new home, and something more.

The atmosphere in Mantle was gloomy, even compared to the chaos surrounding the election and subsequent Grimm attacks. The constant needling from Salem's forces kept the entire population on edge, never knowing when the next attack would happen. Clover noticed, with shame, that some of the citizens across the street were glaring at Manta as he and the other Atlesians disembarked. The feelings were warranted, in his opinion. He hoped he could earn the trust of his people back. 

As he wound his way through Mantle, he avoided the major thoroughfares in case there were Atlesian Knights patrolling. He had at least a few hours before someone reported his disappearance to Ironwood, but he didn't want to give the General any leads on tracking him down. 

Snow started to fall, unabated with much of Mantle's heating systems still malfunctioning. Clover found the boarded up workshop of Pietro Polendina without much trouble. After peering in through the wooden slats to see nothing but dusty, abandoned equipment, he turned around and started down the street. This was where he had first encountered Qrow and the others. He remembered defiant red eyes glaring up at him, and feeling drawn in by them. While it had only been a few weeks ago, it felt like years. 

Dusting the accumulating snow out of his hair, Clover headed into the smaller alleyway across the street from the workshop. The narrow path between the dumpsters led to a mess of tangled side-streets and dead-ends. An excellent location for a hideout. Clover at once mentally praised and bemoaned the ingenuity of the Happy Huntresses' methods for hiding their shelters.

After twenty minutes of wandering around the back alleys without noticing a single hint of a secret refuge, Clover was beginning to doubt his investigative skills. That was, until he heard the faint click of heeled boots as someone landed behind him. Biting down the instinct to spin and jump away, he looked over his shoulder. 

Blake Belladonna stood in the alley, brows raised in an expression of faint surprise. After a moment, she nodded and smiled. "He said you'd find us."

Clover felt his chest clench with emotion, and hoped the light in the alley was dim enough to conceal the flush he knew was on his cheeks. He managed to keep his voice even as he asked, "Are you all doing alright?"

"It's been tough, but yes. Robyn has been a huge help, and the people of Mantle are grateful."

"You deserve it. And you deserve a lot more than what Atlas has been giving you."

"Thank you, Clover. Come on, I'll show you the way."

As they walked through the alleys, Blake updated Clover on the situation in Mantle. "The Grimm attacks are getting worse every day. Protecting the city is difficult enough without Ironwood's soldiers still trying to arrest us."

Clover frowned and shook his head. "I'm so sorry. What Ironwood is doing to Mantle, and to you for helping it, is a complete injustice. He isn't the man I once knew, and I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner." 

"The right path isn't always easy to see. And sometimes breaking away from our instincts is the hardest decision to make, especially if we’re afraid." Her cat ears curled down slightly, but she regarded him with a warm smile. "The important thing is that you're here now."

Clover wished that kind of empathetic direction could have been guiding Atlas. "You're a good leader, Blake." She clasped her hands in front of her and glanced away at that. "Mantle is lucky to have all of you." There was a brief pause in the conversation as Blake showed him a tight alleyway that required a tight turn around a stack of wooden pallets. It was nearly parallel with the wider road. 

Clearing his throat, he asked, "How has Qrow been?"

Blake glanced over her shoulder, a wry smile on her face. “He’s ok, but he misses you a lot.” 

Relief and affection swept through him in equal measure. He let out a sigh. “I’m glad he’s alright.”

"To be honest, we were all worried at first," she explained. “He had been doing so well since we got to Atlas.” She took another, sharp turn into a hidden alley. "He stopped drinking, he seemed more present, and he was starting to open up to people." Another glance backwards, and Clover had to suppress a smile. "We were worried all that progress would disappear after what happened last week. Ruby and Yang were especially concerned that he was going to work himself to the bone and close himself off again. But he hasn't. I think he's really determined to be there for all of us, and he's realized that means also taking care of himself."

They finally stopped next to what looked like a bare brick wall, until Blake raised her hand and knocked a pattern on the stones. Metallic clanging echoed through the alley. "Someone will let us in soon." She looked up at him, and continued, "I know he's talked to Robyn a little bit about what happened. But...well, I know he’ll be so happy to see you. I think if Yang caught him staring up at Atlas while he was supposed to be patrolling one more time, she was going to fly her way up there and kidnap you." She said it without a hint of sarcasm, and Clover was inclined to believe her.

"Oh," Clover breathed. "Well, I'm glad it didn't come to that."

The brick wall -- actually a cleverly painted steel door -- swung open, revealing Robyn Hill. 

She took one look at Clover and snorted. "What took you so long, boy scout?"

"Getting stabbed in the gut?"

She crossed her arms, eyebrows raised.

"...and having to take some time to think. And getting the intel to know where to look for you."

"Fair enough," she said, though her eyes narrowed. "Are you here alone, or are there more of your tin soldiers out on the street, waiting for your signal?"

The accusation hurt, but it was completely reasonable. Before he could speak, Blake interjected, "I was watching him for nearly half an hour, there's no one else here."

"I appreciate your trust, Blake, but I understand Robyn's apprehension." Shifting the weight of his bag on his shoulder, he held out a hand to the older huntress. 

She took his hand, and a pale, lilac aura enveloped them. 

"Did you bring Atlesian soldiers with you?"

"No."

Robyn’s aura briefly flashed green before fading back to its normal colour.

“Were you followed?”

“So far as I could tell, no.”

Green.

"Are you planning to report our location to General Ironwood?"

"No."

Green.

"Why are you here?"

He took a deep breath, then spoke, "On the Manta last week, I was conflicted, because my ingrained instinct was to follow my orders, but I also wanted to trust Qrow. I made the wrong decision. James isn't the General I used to know. It's unacceptable that he isn't protecting Mantle. I knew I had to help right that wrong, in whatever way I could. I believe in your leadership, and Ruby's leadership. I want to help you. I know what Ironwood is planning, and I'll tell you all I know." He felt a familiar, creeping anxiety in his mind, and had to remind himself that betraying Ironwood wasn’t the same as betraying his people. He was doing this to protect Mantle. Taking a moment to collect himself, he said, "And I need to see Qrow. I need to apologize."

Their hands glimmered green the entire time. Robyn let go, looking reluctantly satisfied. "All right then. Glad to see you came to your senses." She turned and led the way down the stairs just inside the door.

Clover followed her, Blake just behind him. They descended two floors, past a landing filled with supply boxes, and arrived at another door. Robyn knocked a code, different to the one Blake had used outside. A while glyph of dust circled the handle, and as the door swung open from within Robyn called out, "New company!"

The room Clover entered was arranged a lot like the Ace Ops common room, but the earth toned furnishings gave it a much more cozy and welcoming air. Two large couches bracketed a table on the left side of the room, a TV mounted on that wall. The right side held a mission table with a holo map of Mantle. Clover’s training had him noting all the points of entry without even thinking about it. There were several doors leading to unknown locations, though he caught a glimpse of a laboratory as Robyn walked passed through one of them. Next to that door was a staircase that led up to a landing with two more doors and a second set of stairs.

Weiss and Yang sat on either couch, a card game in progress on the table between them. Ruby was playing from the floor, gleefully trying to sneak a look at Weiss’s hand. All three of them had turned to look when Robyn came in. Yang grinned, Weiss's eyebrows shot up, and Ruby’s cards and jaw dropped. Blake sidled past Clover, who awkwardly raised his hand in a wave. 

"Um, hello again, everyo-" 

"CLOVER!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"Don't use your semblance Ruby!" Weiss said, as quickly as possible. "He was injured, remember?"

"Ohhh, right." The girl bounded over to him and pulled him into a gentle hug. "We missed you." 

Clover felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he hugged Ruby back. The worry of leaving everything he knew in Atlas slowly started to ease. 

"Thanks, Ruby. I missed you all too. I'm sorry that you've had to fight Atlas, as well as the Grimm."

Ruby stepped back, hands on her hips. "It hasn't been easy, but we've all had each other." She beamed at him, "I'm really glad you came here. The people of Mantle will be glad to have you fighting with us! And, well, you know..." she glanced backwards, towards the stairs.

"Oh right," Yang said, then yelled up the stairs, "UNCLE QROW! Come down, there's a present here for you!"

Clover coughed into his hand as Blake elbowed Yang in the ribs. "What?" the blonde asked, "Am I wrong?"

Weiss got up from the couch with a dramatic sigh. "I'd like to apologize for my teammates."

"No worries," Clover said, "and actually, I have something to give to you, Weiss." He unzipped a side pocket in his bag and pulled out the two letters. "The only reason I was able to find you was because of Winter. Your sister is helping to keep you all safe from Ironwood." He walked towards Weiss, holding out the letters. "She's doing well. And wanted me to give these to you."

Weiss's calm expression changed to shock as she took the letters. She swallowed, staring at the two different scripts bearing her name, but then collected herself. Holding the letters close to her chest, she said, "I'm glad to hear that. Thank you, Captain Ebi."

"It's just Clover now. Or it will be, by the end of the day."

Weiss's eyes widened at that, but before she could ply him with questions, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs.

"I think that's our cue," Blake said.

"Yeah, we'll get you up to speed on everything else later." Yang gave Clover a friendly punch to the arm, "Glad you're here."

The four girls made their way up the stairs, Ruby last in line, waving at him. Just as she disappeared out of view, Clover finally heard the voice he'd only heard in his dreams the past week.

"Hey, what are you talki- wait where are you all going?"

"Just go down!" Ruby yelled, her voice getting further away. "Go!!"

Qrow Branwen exited the stairway, a look of confusion on his face for the split second before he saw Clover. His eyes widened, and his mouth parted with a small gasp.

Clover stared, he couldn't help it. He wasn't wearing his cape, which gave the man a completely different silhouette. Also missing were his vest and collared grey shirt; he just wore his white v-neck shirt. It turned out that a casual look was also very attractive on Qrow, though Clover had to admit to himself that he’d probably find Qrow attractive no matter what he wore. 

Tied around one of his otherwise bare arms was a very familiar, scarlet red armband. 

Part of him just wanted to keep looking at Qrow for a few hours.

 _Focus_ , he reminded himself. 

He dragged his eyes back up to Qrow's face. Those red eyes were shocked, relieved, and hopeful, all at once. 

All of the emotions that had been swirling though his mind for the past week suddenly threatened to rush out of him. That fragile feeling came over him once again, and Clover desperately hoped that whatever it was he had shared with Qrow, it wasn't broken.

"You..." Qrow started, voice rough. He swallowed, and tried again. "I hoped, I really hoped, but I wasn't sure if you'd be ok, if you'd be able to...you came back."

"Of course, Qrow," Clover said, feeling his heart swell. "You asked me to stay with you, didn't you?"

Qrow's expression broke into joy as he moved forward and pulled Clover into a warm hug. Clover let his bag drop to the ground as he wrapped his arms around Qrow's shoulders. Qrow let out a shuddering breath and squeezed Clover a little tighter, one hand at the small of his back, their chests flush. 

"Clover," Qrow whispered, "I'm so sorry."

With reluctance, Clover pulled back from the embrace, though he still held onto Qrow's arms. "I think I'm the one who needs to apologize here."

Qrow shook his head, guilt covering his face. "There were a lot of things, before and after the crash, that I never should have said. I didn't take the time to think about how hard it would be to receive an order like that. And of course you'd want to trust James. I wanted to trust him too. I was angry, and confused, and hurt, but you were too, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I...I didn't mean what I said about working better alone."

"I know, Qrow," Clover said, giving his arms a light squeeze. 

"Walking off on my own was stupid: I gave Tyrian an opening. But most of all, I regret accusing you of not trusting me. I'm sorry."

Clover wanted to tell Qrow that there was nothing to apologize for. That he himself had acted foolishly, falling back on orders that he knew were illogical at best, unethical at worst. But he also knew that wasn't what Qrow really needed to hear right now.

"I forgive you, Qrow." The other man let out a breath of relief and closed his eyes. Clover continued, "But I need to apologize too. I fell back on orders, when I should have followed my instincts. I'm sorry I considered arresting you for even a moment. I know that you trust me, and I should have trusted you."

Pulling him into another hug, Qrow softly said, "It's ok. I forgive you." He sighed. "I missed you so much."

They stayed like that for a drawn out moment. Qrow rested his head on Clover's shoulder as Clover slid his hand up to card through Qrow's feather-like hair. 

"Are you alright?" Qrow asked. Clover could feel the low rumble of his voice reverberate in his chest. "They got you back to Atlas quickly? I know how...rough that poison can be."

"Yes," Clover replied, "They had me in surgery within the hour. I'm alright, Qrow."

"Good..." Qrow sighed, his breath tickling Clover's ear.

"I need to return something to you," he murmured, disentangling their arms. He reached down for his bag, unzipping the main compartment while he explained, "I thought you might be missing this too." He pulled out Harbinger, holding it horizontal across both hands as he presented it to Qrow. 

The huntsman let out an appreciative hum as he traced over the patterns on the blade. "Pietro's given me some pretty good substitutes, but nothing beats the real thing, does it?" Qrow took his weapon and slung in behind his back, clipping it onto his belt. "Much better. Ah, that reminds me..." He started to untie the armband, "I think this fits your arm better than mine."

Clover laughed at that, holding his arm out as Qrow tied the cloth around his bicep. His hand lingered, fingers tracing over Clover's skin, raising goosebumps. Heat grew under his collar. Glancing up, he saw that Qrow was looking at the new pin attached to his lapel. 

"New design?" Qrow asked, reaching out with his other hand to gently brush the green and silver metal. "Horseshoe didn't make it?"

"Um," Clover swallowed, feeling suddenly nervous. "It was banged up, but it was workable. But I...well, here." He reached down and fished around in his bag, pulling out the small bundle of brown cloth. His hand was shaking as he held it out to Qrow. The huntsman took it and started unfurling the cloth as Clover stammered through an explanation, apprehension swirling in his brain. "The idea came to me when I was getting my pin fixed, and I don’t know if it’s too presumptuous of me, it’s just we were talking about finding you a focus for your semblance a while ago..."

Qrow was silent, staring down at the oval of dark crimson nestled in the cloth. The swooping wing of Qrow's symbol adorned the hard enamel backing, the metal a deep, glossy black, while the gears were formed with a delicate filigree of silver. The same silver as Clover's pin. 

"I noticed your symbol on your flask," Clover continued, also staring at the pin in Qrow's lightly trembling hand. He realized with mild horror that he was rambling but couldn't stop. "But you weren't using that anymore, and I thought it was a shame that you didn't have such a beautiful emblem on display. You don't have to use it of course, if you don't want t-"

His breath left him as he felt a palm cup his jaw. As Qrow gently tilted his head back up, they locked eyes. Crow's feet gathered at the edges of crimson eyes as Qrow smiled. Clover's heart skipped a beat.

"It's beautiful, Clover. I love it." His thumb traced the line of Clover's jaw, eyes flicked down to his lips. "I'd...may I?"

Clover leaned in, hands finding purchase at Qrow's waist and shoulder. "Yes."

Qrow kissed him. Clover pulled them closer again, feeling the hand holding the new pin snake around his back. It was a sweet, gentle kiss. With his hand on the other man's chest, Clover could feel the rapid staccato of Qrow's heartbeat.

When they finally broke apart, Clover grinned at Qrow. “Finally.” The other man blushed. "But I thought you wanted to do something more formal first? Not that I’m complaining."

"Couldn't help myself," Qrow said, eyes sparkling. He glanced down for a moment before regarding Clover again. "I've always...been worried about keeping people close. That it was too dangerous for the people I cared about to get into a deeper relationship. But you've really started to change my mind. I know my semblance can be controlled now. So...I'd like to try. If you'd have me?"

"Absolutely." Clover pulled Qrow in for a slow, deep kiss. Fingers gently tugged though his hair, making him sigh into the kiss. He felt like his heart was flying. When they pulled back, Qrow rested his forehead on Clover's, closing his eyes. The blooming feeling between them still felt like a small and delicate thing. But the moment was so peaceful.

Until the cacophonous roar of clattering pots and pans hitting the floor above them shook them out of their moment. Several exasperated exclamations of "Nora!" filtered through the floorboards. 

Qrow groaned, hanging his head back, and Clover broke into a peal of laughter. "I'm thinking I should say hello to everyone else as well?" he asked.

"Sure," Qrow replied, sliding his free hand down Clover's arm to interlink their fingers. “We’ll talk more later?”

"Of course," he said, then quickly added, with a wink, “then you can have me all to yourself.”

Qrow turned his head towards the stairs as a furious blush shot up his face. Clover fell into laughter, "Have you become unaccustomed to my flirting again, Qrow?"

"Of course not," Qrow grumbled, but the huntsman was grinning nearly ear to ear and had a playful look on his face. It was a good look on him.

As they started up the stairs, Qrow spoke again. "I'm assuming you didn't get clearance from Jimmy to take Harbinger and come down here."

"You'd be correct. If I'm not already, I'll be declared AWOL tomorrow. Elm's leading the Ops now."

Qrow was silent for a moment as they arrived at the first landing on the stairs, then started up the second set. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to put your career on the line."

"It's ok, Qrow. I don't want to have to follow orders that make me question my judgement. You, and your kids, made me realize there are more ways than just Ironwood’s of helping people. I still trust him...but you were right, he’s in a bad place. And I trust you, I trust Ruby. She risked her life to save all of Atlas. I'm glad I'm here." He gave Qrow's hand a squeeze, getting a smile in return as Qrow pushed the door at the top of the stairs open. 

They came out into a large kitchen that was packed with people. All of team RWBY and JNOR, along with Penny, were crowded into the kitchen area. Several pans were strewn over the floor. On the other side of the room, Maria, Fiona, and Pietro were sitting next to a long wooden table.

"Ah!" Maria called out, "Finally!"

Ruby spun around at that. Her hands were covered with sugar dust. "Oh hey! We wanted to make you something, you know, like a welcome dinner-" 

Yang interjected, "She means dessert!"

"Cake is a valid food choice!” She shot back. “However, we're running into some technical difficulties. It'll be done soon!" 

Before Clover could react, Penny was walking over to him. "Mister Ebi," she said, taking Clover's hands in her own. "As the protector of Mantle, I want to personally thank you for coming here. It must have been hard to leave Atlas, but I know that the people of Mantle will be grateful for your help." She beamed at him, her smile lighting up the whole room. "And so are all of us!"

"Thank you, Penny. That means a lot to me." It was subtle, but Clover thought he could sense some kind of deep power as he held Penny's hands.

"I have to get back to the cake, please make yourself comfortable!" She twirled around and rejoined the kitchen crew.

Clover turned to look at Qrow. Red eyes, soft with fondness, gazed back at him. While Clover had been facing the other way, Qrow had affixed the pin to his shirt. It looked perfect on him. "Hope you're starting to feel settled," he said with a grin.

"Yeah," Clover replied. He felt lighter than he had in ages, surrounded by a gaggle of laughing hunters and huntresses, in a cramped but cozy hideout, staring into Qrow Branwen's eyes.

At that moment, he knew he had finally made the right decision. 

He had trusted the love he felt in his heart.

He was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. There will be two more fics in this series, but this was the climax of the whole endeavour. 
> 
> Thank you *so much* for reading this kind of hilariously large behemoth. I didn't intend for it to be this long when I started, but the whole process of writing it was extremely cathartic.
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [40 Years of Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28416186) by [alphaparrot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphaparrot/pseuds/alphaparrot)




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